Meeting Minutes 2/16/10

Parent/Family/Community meeting - 2/16/10

Agenda-

(1) Budget update
(2) Current 6/7/8 configuration

Bob Goudreau
Tom Darling
Paul Lasher
Lisa Falcone
Danielle Pheeney
Sue Hoeppner
Penny Grant
Sharon Henry

Town report should be in mailboxes any day.

Quick review of budget.

Middle school reconfiguration conversation review:

Current configuration includes one 6-8 team and one 7-8 team which includes project based instruction.
Future grade level configurations (vision) will likely be k-2, 3-5, 6-8.
Each grade level team will have support services.

Middle School reconfiguration survey resulted in a mixed bag of feedback, but general opinion leans towards moving all 6th graders to middle school. Look for compiled results soon.

If this occurs, likely 5th grade would be stand-alone next year. Conversations would begin about how we would combine 3-5 the following year.

Tom and Paul discussed benefits of current configuration - project opportunities, mixed ability math flexibility, mixed language arts 6-7. To this point, 6th and 8th grade students are not mixed academically.

Lisa brought up the concern that the 6-8 teams are very large. For the student who is uncomfortable in a large crowd, the morning meeting (for example) is daunting.

Danielle shared her experience with a Montessori school with 3 grade level team configurations. She compared the configuration to "life": You're new at something, you're supported by those with more experience, you learn, you practice, you gather knowledge and experience until you are the leaders.

Other conversation about children whose academics don't match their social levels. Paul and Tom assured parents that social skills are taught at middle school as part of the curriculum: how to staple papers, how to recycle, how to close the door (without banging), move a chair (versus drag), how to shake a hand, greet/meet someone, etc... Bob also said that the school continues to work on recognising students who need extra support and providing that support.

Final reconfiguration decision will not be made until after a budget is passed.

February Meeting

AGENDA PARENT/TEACHER GROUP

February 2010

MEETINGS: February 16 - 6:30 PM - CAFETERIA & February 17 - 8:30 AM - CAFETERIA

TOPICS

2010 – 2011 PROPOSED BUDGET REVIEW
DISCUSSION OF MIDDLE SCHOOL SURVEY AND PROGRESS TO DATE
QUESTIONS
MARCH MEETINGS: 3/17/2010 @6:30 PM AND 3/18/2010 @ 8:30 am